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GABA-Immunoreactive Synaptic Plexus in the Nerve Fiber Layer of Primate Retina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Margaret A. Koontz
Affiliation:
Departments of Ophthalmology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
Anita E. Hendrickson
Affiliation:
Departments of Ophthalmology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle Biological Structure, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
Marianne K. Ryan
Affiliation:
Departments of Ophthalmology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle

Abstract

Synaptic contacts onto fibers and somata in the nerve fiber layer (NFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) of macaque and human retina were demonstrated at the electron microscopical (EM) level. Many presynaptic processes in monkey NFL are gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) immunoreactive, using anti-GABA antiserum with an EM immunogold procedure. Immunocytochemistry at the light microscopic level revealed that many GABA-reactive cells in the GCL send branching processes into the NFL, forming a sparse synaptic plexus. The presence of long, unbranched GABA-reactive fibers running horizontally in the NFL and entering the optic nerve suggests that some ganglion cells may be GABAergic. GABA-reactive cells contributing to the plexus appear to be a new class of displaced amacrines that arborize in the NFL.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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